IL HR0907

Illinois operated the Lincoln Developmental Center in Lincoln from 1877 to 2002 as a residential facility for developmentally disabled children and adults, which included an on-site cemetery for deceased patients whose families could not be located or were indigent.

The Logan Correctional Center (women's prison) opened adjacent to the facility in 1978 and the Lincoln Correctional Center (men's prison) opened on the same grounds in 1984; the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) assumed management of the cemetery after the facility's closure in 2002.

No public process or guidelines currently exist for family members, relatives, friends, and researchers to visit and maintain gravesites at the Lincoln Developmental Center cemetery.

Urges IDOC to develop and publish a standard policy and guidelines for public access to gravesites for family members and researchers.

Urges IDOC to prioritize public cemetery access during any future renovations or rebuilding of correctional facilities at the site.